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El Monte Elementary School Principal Kim Chamberlain, right, talks to students as they work on a...

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Lamont Carter's family made a beeline for Alameda when they moved from New Jersey to the Bay Area five years ago. Carter said his parents liked the safe, small-town feel of the island city abutting Oakland, but one factor rose above all else: the fine reputation of its public schools.
Carter had a lot of catching up to do, and his teachers at Wood Middle School devoted extra time to help him. It wasn't just him. He remembers his algebra teacher hovering over each student's desk at the end of class to make sure everyone understood the work.
Now 16, the Alameda High School student is on the advanced placement track with plans to apply to top universities on the East Coast. But he believes it will soon be much
harder for kids — especially those who are behind, like he was — to succeed.
Carter is preparing for a senior year with bigger classes, fewer advanced placement slots, and one week chopped from the school calendar. Some of his favorite teachers will be gone; they left because they were laid off or thought they might be. To balance a shrinking budget, the district is considering a plan